


Counterpoint drabbles

by TheLadyDisdain



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-05-14 21:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19281985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadyDisdain/pseuds/TheLadyDisdain
Summary: A series of Cobra Kai drabbles, happening in the Counterpoint and Equilibrium universe, based on prompts from this list: https://missviolethunter.tumblr.com/post/185675900456/angstfluff-prompt-list





	1. "It's late. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheEmpressAR](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEmpressAR/gifts), [Jules1980](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jules1980/gifts), [stephluvvsyou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephluvvsyou/gifts), [InvisibleObserver13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisibleObserver13/gifts), [LibertinePast](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibertinePast/gifts).



> This is a little experiment to fight against the writer's block I'm having on my main story. Just some short fluffy drabbles that happen in the Counterpoint universe.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #18. “It’s late. Shouldn’t you be asleep?”. Pairing: Johnny/Kate. Requested by stephluvvsyou.

 

“It’s late. Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

The apartment was completely dark, except for the light that filtered through the blinds… and the blue light of Johnny’s smartphone, of course. Sitting on the couch, with his nose almost glued to the screen, he barely registered Kate’s groggy voice.

“Huh?”

“It’s three a.m., Johnny... if I knew you were going to develop a smartphone addiction, I would have told you to keep your old flip phone”, she said, getting out of the bedroom and going to sit beside him. “What’s so important that can’t wait until the morning?”

He showed her the phone.

“Robby liked that thing I posted on the Instagram. And he put a comment under it.”

Johnny’s first (and only, so far) Instagram post was perfectly on brand: a screen capture of Iron Eagle showing Doug and Chappy. Under it, Robby’s comment read ‘ _Cool movie, Dad’_. Three simple words, but to him they clearly meant a lot.

“Do I have to reply? Or put one of those little hearts on it?”

Kate looked at him fondly. The last thing she wanted was to embark on a long explanation about social media etiquette in the middle of the night, but seeing Johnny so happy about a simple comment from his son was worth it.

“You can respond with a simple ‘thank you’, or just like it. Either way, I’m glad Robby is interacting with you... Maybe your second post can be tomorrow’s breakfast, food is a very popular theme on Instagram.”

“What, people post pictures of their coffee mugs?”

“If you come back to bed right now, I promise I’ll make the most photogenic poached eggs you’ve ever seen. With bacon. And toast cut in triangles.”

Johnny turned off the phone, tossed it on the couch and practically ran towards the bedroom.

“Deal!”


	2. “Here, let me help you.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #26: “Here, let me help you.” Pairing (platonic): Miguel & Sophie. Requested by stephluvvsyou.

“Here, let me help you.”

“Ouch!”

“Stop moving!”

“It hurts! And that thing is cold.”

“It’s an ice pack, Miguel… I could warm it for you, but it wouldn’t have the same effect.”

Sophie kept holding the ice pack against Miguel’s face despite his protests. After a few seconds, she assessed the damage: a small purple bruise was forming on Miguel’s cheekbone, right where she had kicked him a moment before.

“This is the last time I give you a private lesson. It’s bad enough that we’re risking Sensei Lawrence’s wrath for opening the dojo when he’s not here, I’m also spending my Saturday afternoon getting kicked in the face.”

“I need the extra practice!” said the girl. “Sensei Lawrence chews me out at least once a week because I’m not on the same level as the rest of you.”

“Come on, Soph… you’ve been at Cobra Kai only for two months. And it’s not like you were an athlete before joining. I was a disaster at first, too!” said Miguel, trying to cheer up his friend. “Anyway, why don’t you practice sparring with your girlfriend? You two are practically glued at the hip.”

“It’s no use. When Grace and I fight it’s like there’s some invisible force field that keeps us from hitting each other. That’s why Sensei told me to spar with the boys.”

Miguel took the ice pack from Sophie’s hand with a grimace.

“What I’d really love to know is why. You’re completely incapable of landing a punch, you can’t do three pushups in a row without falling flat on your face… but the moment you try to kick someone on the head you’re an unstoppable force that comes out of nowhere. It’s like your legs have a life of their own… you should quit karate and try taekwondo, that’s practically all kicks.”

“It must be the hollow bones thing”, she joked. “What if Sensei is right about that?”

“Yeah, some scientist should research the missing link between girls and birds.”

“I knew I had superpowers!” she laughed, checking one more the state of Miguel’s face. “Oh, look, it’s not swollen anymore. Let’s go to the Café de France, I’ll buy you a milkshake for the inconvenience. And a cronut.”

Miguel got up and turned off the lights while Sophie put the ice pack back on the fridge.

“The things I do for a cronut.”


	3. “I can’t sleep, can I stay here?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #17. “I can’t sleep, can I stay here?”. Pairing: Robby Keene/Keiko. Requested by TheEmpressAR.

“I can’t sleep, can I stay here?”

“What on Earth are you doing?” Keiko whispered after opening the French doors to her balcony. “Lower your voice before the neighbors wake up and call the police!”

Rubbing her eyes to shake the sleepiness away, Keiko grabbed her boyfriend by his shirt and dragged him into her bedroom.

“Robby… have you ever been stabbed with a katana? Because that’s what’s going to happen if my family wakes up and they find you here.”

The boy seemed genuinely scared for a moment.

“Ah… your Dad wouldn’t do that, right?”

“My Dad is the most peaceful person in the world… I’m talking about my Mom. And Shiro will probably cheer while she slices you in two.”

Robby pouted, not completely sure if Keiko was joking or not, and took a look around her room. There were several movie posters on the walls, a desk with a sleek laptop, and the biggest walk-in closet he had ever seen.

“I wanted to see you. That’s all.”

“You came all the way from North Hills, on a Tuesday, at midnight, because you wanted to see me? I’m not sure if I should feel flattered or scared”, she laughed, almost forgetting to keep her voice down. “Seriously, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just… If I tell you why I’m here it’s going to sound stupid”, Robby said, putting his hands in his pockets.

“More stupid than crossing the Valley at this hour and throwing pebbles at my window to wake me up?” she said, suspicious. “I need an explanation, Robby, even if it’s a stupid one… Or I’ll think I’m dating a lunatic!”

She sat on the bed, holding a pillow and looking at him as if he had, indeed, lost his mind… so he sat on the carpet, keeping a respectable distance.

“I was studying for my GED and I lost track of time. I always study better at night. Anyway, this week’s subject is Literature, my assigned reading was Romeo and Juliet, and… It kinda gave me an idea.”

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Keiko started laughing (but not out loud)… and then she threw the pillow at him.

“You had the idea of climbing my balcony in the middle of the night because of that stupid play?”

“If it’s stupid, why is it so famous?”

“It’s a cautionary tale of what not to do in a relationship! Those two idiots were together for less than a week, and six people died because of it!”

“Come on. If Mr. Shakespeare heard you insult his romantic heroes like that…”

“Count the dead again, Robby. Six.”

With a cheeky smile, Robby threw the pillow back at Keiko and stood up.

“Very well… Since you’re not interested in discussing one of the greatest tragedies  in Literature, I’ll take my leave”, he said, inching his way towards her. “Can I at least get a kiss before I go?”

“More than one”, said Keiko, putting her arms around the boy’s neck. “But if you start spewing declarations of love I swear I’ll throw you off the balcony. And _that_ will be the real tragedy.”

“Lovely as ever, Spike.”

“Shut up and kiss me, Romeo.”


	4. “You could have warned me!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #29. Pairing (platonic): Kate and Kevin. Requested by Jules1980.

“You could have warned me!”

“Sorry, girl… I didn’t think it was so important.”

“Kevin, you’re spoiling her. You already gave her an ebook reader for her birthday.”

“That was months ago! I’m her godfather, I’m allowed to give Rani a gift every now and then. Besides, it’s nothing extravagant, right? It’s not like I’ve bought her a pony.”

“I’m sure you knew the effect your gift was going to have. Don’t look so innocent.”

Kevin went to the fridge, filled two glasses of chilled pink lemonade, and offered one to his best friend. They were in the kitchen, in Kate’s aparement… but her attention was fixed on the activity that was taking place in the living room.

Rani sat on the floor, with her brow furrowed in concentration. She was holding the joystick of an old-fashioned games console, and the screen in front of her depicted a game of Space Invaders. Johnny and Oliver were on the couch behind the little girl; Johnny, of course, was hoarding the other joystick, while Oliver observed the game. Their cheers filled the room every time the laser cannons hit one of the enemy spaceships… cheers that got louder and louder when the special ‘mystery ship’ appeared across the top of the screen.

Sipping her lemonade, Kate turned towards Kevin again.

“You know how much Johnny loves 80s memorabilia, right? He’s going to play Space Invaders for the rest of the week and ignore everything around him. Including me.”

“Not only Space Invaders... the console comes with 105 built-in games”, said Kevin with an apologetic smile. “Pitfall, River Raid, Kaboom, Frogger, Millipede...”

“Oh, great! My boyfriend is going to leave me for a retro games console", Kate laughed, checking the time on her phone. “This was supposed to be a nice Sunday lunch, and now my living room is occupied by an eight-year-old and two overgrown children who have 104 more games to try. I better start making dinner, because Johnny is never going to leave this apartment as long as that thing keeps working.”

“Well, look on the bright side… you have a live-in boyfriend now.”


	5. Thirty seconds in… Heaven?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Johnny Lawrence / Kate Williams.  
> This drabble is from a different challenge, it was requested by InvisibleObserver13 a few months ago. The prompt was "Write a ~300 fantasy one of them has about the other".

**Thirty seconds in… Heaven?**

Kate had told Johnny once that the elevator thing was a bad idea… but the thought had lingered in the back of his mind for weeks.

There were cameras, two on each cabin. The security guys were watching 24/7. And the building was only five storeys high, there was no way to do _anything_ in there without being caught.

At least… until the morning of the blackout.

As soon as the cabin got to a screeching halt between two floors, Johnny’s instincts kicked in. He grabbed Kate’s wrist before she could press the alarm button _. There’s no hurry_ , he whispered, in a tone that left no doubt about his intentions. In the penumbra of the emergency light, his blue eyes flashed with a wicked glint… probably the same glint teen Johnny had had in high school when he got to play Seven Minutes in Heaven at a party.

Seven minutes be damned, he was going to make the most of each second.

He kissed her neck first, like a starving vampire, and the soft moan that came from Kate’s throat told him she wasn’t going to tell him to stop. In fact, she wasn’t going to say anything for a while, because she was too busy nibbling on his earlobe.

There was no time to take off any clothes… nor to find a better position than standing against the mirrored wall, with Johnny’s arm hooked under Kate’s leg, both of them trying not to make a noise. It wasn’t easy, especially for Johnny, because she moaned in her ear, and shivered in his arms, and grasped his hair with both hands (fuck, he loved that). He kept drilling into her, pressing her against the wall, swallowing her moans until…

_Ding._

Thirty seconds after they’d gone, the lights came back.

Kate opened her eyes. She was alone in the elevator, it was eight in the morning… and the only thing she was grasping with both hands was a Venti Starbucks cup.

A deep blush crept across her cheeks; when the elevator stopped at her floor she went straight for her office, ignoring the worried voices of her coworkers asking her if she’d been scared during the short blackout.

Scared was not the word. Not for the dirty scene her sleep-addled mind had made up in those thirty seconds…

And she was never going to tell Johnny about it.


	6. “I’m not going anywhere.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #55. “I’m not going anywhere.” . Pairing: Johnny/Kate. Requested by Jules1980.

Johnny Lawrence was a man with a mission.

He opened a cupboard. Then another. Third time was the charm, and he finally found the jar of loose tea leaves.

Now the only thing left was to find the honey… among the thousands of jars and boxes in the kitchen. He let out an exasperated groan. How could a woman and a child need all that stuff? He was used to living on a practically empty pantry, eating whatever was on sale at the supermarket… but Kate’s kitchen was like a fantastic treasure hoard of spices, foreign food, nuts, pasta (in several absurd shapes), and even four different types of olive oil. In Johnny’s opinion, there was something very, _very_ wrong with a world that allowed four different types of olive oil to exist in it.

Snapping out of his rambling thoughts, he carefully put a spoonful of tea leaves in a strainer, and poured hot water over it. And he also found the honey jar, of course, because defeat was for the weak. Just when he was putting the hot beverage and some cookies on a tray, a strangled sound coming from Kate’s bedroom reminded him of why he was making tea from scratch for the first time in his life.

Kate was laying on the bed… covered in blankets, surrounded by boxes of tissues, and gasping for breath between coughs. When she saw him appear with the tea, she gave him a hopeful smile that didn’t reach her red rimmed eyes.

“Hey… shouldn’t you be at the dojo? You’re going to miss today’s class”, she croaked in a weak voice.

“It’s not even lunchtime, babe.”

“What… oh, I thought I had managed to sleep at least a few hours”, she said, reaching for her cell phone on the nightstand. “No wonder I’m so tired… where’s Rani?”

“You’re tired because you have the flu”, Johnny responded in a stern voice, snatching the phone from her hand. “Your brother came ten minutes ago and took Rattler to his place, so she doesn’t catch it too. I don’t have to open Cobra Kai until four. And you’re not allowed to look at your phone, the doctor said you need to rest.”

“Ugh. It’s bad enough that I’m missing work… I thought at least I could check my emails.”

“That’s why I’m confiscating this”, he answered, putting her phone in his back pocket. “Now, drink your tea and try to get some more sleep.”

“Tea? I want coffee”, she pouted, wrinkling her nose in a gesture that Johnny would have found cute… if it wasn’t for the new coughing fit that interrupted her, making her body shake so much that Johnny feared she was going to fall off the bed.

“You had three cups of coffee already. Come on, drink. I put some honey in it.”

Kate obeyed in silence, and once she had taken a couple of sips Johnny sat on the bed next to her. When he passed an arm around her shoulders to help her sit up, she stiffened.

“Don’t touch me… I should be quarantined, nobody can touch me”, she said, weekly. “You’ll catch your death.”

“Nah, I never get sick.”

“Caveman.”

“Thanks.”

Seeing that trying to scare Johnny away was useless, Kate turned towards him slowly, as if every movement was painful. Her next words were little more than a feeble whisper.

“Johnny, thank you for looking after me, but I don’t want you to catch this bug… seriously, you should leave.”

He repositioned himself so that she was leaning against his chest, and put his arms around her as she closed her eyes.

“Rotten luck, babe… I’m not going anywhere.”


	7. “You look amazing tonight.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #14. Pairing: Kevin and Oliver. Requested by Jules1980.

“You look amazing tonight.”

“You too, my love”, answered Oliver, brushing a speck of dust off Kevin’s shirt with an affectionate smile. “Hey, do you want more nachos?”

“Oh, no… you should finish them, I have enough with the hot dog.” The man passed the tray of nachos back to his companion, before turning his head to shout. “Hey, that kid is as big as a mountain, there’s no way he’s thirteen! Little son of a…”

“Kevin, language! They’re children!”

The man took a bite of his hot dog, mostly to avoid swearing again. All around him, the All Valley Sports Arena was full of karate enthusiasts, all of them waiting for the little fighters on the mat below to begin the matches. _Little_ was exactly the right word… because only a few of the contestants were more than five foot tall.

Right in front of them, a big and colorful banner proudly announced the celebration of the first All Valley Under-14 Karate Championship. The blue mats swarmed with children of all ages, wearing the colors of their dojos with pride, and the noise the parents made from the bleachers was almost deafening.

“Aren’t you glad we came?” Oliver asked, putting the food aside for a moment. “It’s not exactly the most romantic place for the first date after our wedding, but… I admit this is more fun than I expected. Hey, look, there’s Rani!”

It was easy to spot the three Cobra Kai contestants, because they were the only ones wearing all black. Rani was there, of course… with Bert, and another new kid that Kevin didn’t know. Beside them, Johnny was giving them the last few instructions: it was almost time for them to jump on the mat.

Kevin sighed under his breath. He had always been a sports enthusiast… he preferred football, of course, but any sport would do in a pinch. What he didn’t enjoy so much was the idea of watching his goddaughter being defeated on her first real competition.

“This tournament is a mess”, he grunted. “What if she has to fight with a boy twice her size? Someone should tell that Committee to make some sensible rules… the kids should be grouped according to gender, and weight!”

“Darling, it’s fine! Nobody will get hurt… Kate already told us Rani doesn’t mind if she wins or loses as long as she's having a good time. Speaking of Kate… where is she?”

“Over there”, Kevin answered, pointing to the courtside seats. “With her friend Amanda, do you see her?”

Before Oliver had time to say anything, the conversation was interrupted some really loud cheering coming a large group of teenagers sitting next to them. They were wearing Cobra Kai t-shirts, and judging by their enthusiasm anybody would think that the little girl who had just stepped on the mat for her first match was nothing less than a rockstar.

Suddenly struck by a wave of infectious excitement, Oliver grabbed his husband’s hand while the All Valley speaker made a new announcement:

_‘Ladies and gentlemen, the first match of this brand new championship will be between Ava Christensen, from All Star Karate, and Rani Williams, from Cobra Kai!’_

The two young contestants bowed to each other. The ginger girl in the white and red gi looked visibly nervous, but the only sign of tension in Rani’s face was a small crease of concentration in her forehead. The referee gave the signal, the crowd went wild…

And the remains of Kevin’s hot dog fell to the floor as he punched the air when Rani got her first point of the night.


	8. “I can’t do this on my own”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #39. Pairing (platonic): Sam and Aisha. Requested by Libertinepast.

“I can’t do this on my own, Aisha! Come on, give me another push.”

Aisha grunted while her best friend climbed on her shoulders and swung a leg over the fence. The other leg soon followed, and Samantha landed on the grass with both feet.

“See? It wasn’t that hard”, said Sam, running to the gate and opening it from the inside. But Aisha didn’t seem too convinced.

“I still don’t know why you had to climb that fence.”

“Because my Dad has the only set of keys. Don’t worry, I know the alarm code for the house.”

“Also, I don’t understand why we’re sneaking into your Dad’s dojo at night, Sam.”

“I’ll explain in a minute… but let’s get inside first. Quick, before anyone hears us!”

Moving stealthily, the two girls gained entrance to the house, and Sam input the alarm code into the keypad. It worked, and she let out a relieved sigh. Standing beside her friend, Aisha looked around her, taking notice of the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Wow, this place is amazing!” she said, trying not to raise her voice. “How much did Mr. LaRusso spend on the renovations?”

“A lot. My Mom almost had a fit when she saw the contractor’s bill. Come, I’ve closed the blinds so we can turn on the light now. Take off your shoes before stepping on the tatami, it’s super easy to leave a mark on it.”

“I know my way around a karate dojo, Sam”, said Aisha, rolling her eyes. “Wait a minute… are we here to steal something? Because I don’t want to get in trouble, if your Dad finds out a Cobra Kai has been here he’ll take it out on Sensei Lawrence, and I’m sure it won’t be pretty.”

“No, it’s not that!  I promise I won’t get you in trouble, okay?” answered Sam in a concerned tone. “I just… I just need a favor.”

“Come on, spill.”

“I need you to teach me how to get out of a chokehold. And how to put someone in one, too.”

There followed a few seconds of stunned silence, and Aisha stared at her friend with her mouth open.

“But… Sam, why? You’ve been doing karate for way longer than I have. And even if you didn’t, I’m sure your Dad would teach you if…”

“My Dad is fixated on defensive techniques. And kata, of course; any remotely violent move is banned in class. But I saw that video you and Miguel posted the other day, and… it’s for self-defense! What if I’m going back home one night and someone tries to mug me?”

“You will probably mop the floor with him?” Aisha laughed. “Look, I’m glad you liked that video, but Miguel is the expert on chokeholds, not me. He would be a better teacher.”

Sam frowned and looked away, clearly not very keen on the suggestion, so Aisha insisted.

“I thought you guys were kind of friends again.”

“Kind of. He’s with that girl from Krunch… it would be weird for me to ask him. And my Dad would flip out if he found out. I can always think of a good excuse to bring you to Miyagi-Do, but if I brought Miguel here Dad would throw a fit, he still hates him for what happened at the tournament with Robby.”

Aisha sat on the floor and started unlacing her shoes.

“I bet you a giant ice cream sundae that Miguel and Maria will break up before school starts. It’s a Summer romance, everybody knows how those end up! Haven’t you seen Dirty Dancing?”

“Who hasn't seen Dirty Dancing?” answered Sam, trying not to think of the things the protagonists of the movie did in bed during that Summer; she didn’t want to have that mental image about Miguel and his bombshell girlfriend. “Now, are you going to teach me or not? I’ll give you some kata lessons in exchange. Please?”

Aisha jumped to the middle of the tatami.

“Well, since we’re already here… Oh, I never thought I’d see the day when I would teach Samantha LaRusso the Way of the Fist!” she laughed.

“I don’t even know which way that is. But if you tell someone, I promise I’ll strangle you”, joked her friend.

“You can’t strangle me, Sam… you don’t know how to do a chokehold yet.”

The following day, right before class, Daniel arrived to the dojo and noticed there was a small tear in one of the tatami mats. He ran his hand over the frayed edge of the mat, wondering what kind of training exercise could have been so violent to rip a hole in it… But then he shook his head and smiled.

Tatami was a fragile surface, and he was probably worrying over nothing, so he flipped the mat upside down and went to the changing room to get ready before his students arrived.


	9. “I’m right where I belong”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #67. Pairing: Jimmy / Dawn. Requested by InvisibleObserver13.

“You should be at the library, not here.”

The voice coming from the stage was sweet, almost melodic, but it caught Jimmy by surprise. So much that he dropped his books, his glasses… and his dignity, because he also went red as a beet.

“Ah… sorry, I didn’t want to bother you. I was… sorry, I’ll leave.”

The girl sitting at the piano gave him a wide smile, and Jimmy found himself even more flustered.

“I’m not throwing you out… I don’t mind having an audience”, she said. “But what are you doing in the auditorium with those Law books?”

The young man cleared his throat. He couldn’t give her the real reason, of course. The reason being that he had caught sight of her a couple of weeks before, and when he’d found out that she was a music student he’d started sneaking into the empty auditorium to listen to her piano rehearsals. But he hadn’t tried to talk to her… for starters, he was a senior and she was a freshman, so she probably only dated boys her age. And his knowledge of music was very limited, so he was sure they would run out of conversation topics in a minute.  Now, after several days sitting in a dark corner, she had finally noticed him… and he still didn’t know what to say.

Seeing that her audience of one was mute, the girl stepped away from the piano and spoke again.

“You know… if you want me to be your background music while you study, you should at least buy me coffee one of these days.”

That was the last straw that made Jimmy react and remember his almost forgotten Cobra Kai training. What had happened to the ‘strike first’ motto? Why was he reduced to a stammering mess in front of this girl? It was like high school all over again… only worse, because now he didn’t have Johnny and the others to play wingman.

He cleared his throat and willed his voice not to shake.

“Well, it’s too late for coffee”, he said, checking his watch. “How about lunch instead?”

“Are you going to buy me cafeteria food?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.

“No! Of course not… look, I know the food offer on campus is not the finest, but last week they opened a Japanese restaurant next to the Social Sciences building. We can go there.”

“Well, if the sushi is good enough for those hippies in Social Sciences, I’m sure I’ll like it”, she said, clearly amused by the situation. “By the way, I’m Dawn.”

He wanted to respond with a witty remark. He also wanted to tell her that he loved her hair, and the sight of her hands moving over the piano keys, and the way she frowned in concentration when she was about to hit a difficult note… But instead he walked towards the stage, smiling like an idiot.

“Jimmy. Ah… nice to meet you, Dawn. And sorry for sneaking on you like that, I didn’t want to distract you but I like hearing you play.”

“Then you’re lucky, because I need to rehearse for ten more minutes before I’m finished. But don’t hide in the back again!” she demanded. “I want you here where I can see you, Mr. Lawyer.”

“I’m not a lawyer yet. I won’t even be in Law School until September”, he said, taking a seat on the first row.

She sat at the piano again, and her slender fingers started a new melody.

“Are you sure I’m not distracting you, Jimmy?” she teased. “I don’t want you to fail your Law School entrance exam… Music and Law are not a good match; maybe you should get back to your library.”

Jimmy almost jumped in his seat, because the Law School thing had just given him an idea.

“Did you know that the man who wrote the national anthem was a lawyer?”

She struck a false note, surprised, and turned to look at him.

“Really? You’re not making that up?”

“Francis Scott Key. He wrote _Star-Spangled Banner_ in 1814, and after that he served as the District Attorney of the United States. So… don’t worry about distracting me, Dawn”, he said in a more confident tone, leaving his books on the floor. “I’m right where I belong.”

 


	10. “Please, don’t do this.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #34. Pairing: Tommy and Susan. Requested by Jules1980.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This drabble takes place between chapters 32 and 33 of Counterpoint.

“Please, don’t do this… I’ve got two left feet, remember?”

“Stop complaining and move, Tommy! I don’t have all night.”

The man looked around him to see if one of his Cobra Kai buddies would come to his rescue, but all of them seemed suddenly distracted. Jimmy was examining the bottom of his glass of wine, Bobby and Barbara were talking to another couple, Johnny and his girl were dancing together in a dark corner… and Dutch (his final hope) looked at him, then at Susan, and mouthed ‘good luck’ before going to hide behind a plant.

Cowards.

Seeing that he had no chance to escape, he allowed Susan to grab his arm and lead him to the dance floor. Once they were among the other dancers, he relaxed a little… but he kept looking at his feet.

“Eyes to the front, Tommy Katz… I am up here. Are you trying to tell me that in all these years you haven’t learned how to dance? Not even a little?”

Tommy looked into his dance partner’s blue eyes. She had changed in the years that had passed, like all the other people in the room, but the eyes were exactly the same as before. Piercing, clever, always noticing every single detail. He started swaying (badly) with the music, letting Susan take the lead like she’d done so many times when they were dating. High school seemed like a million years before… but Susan’s presence was making him nostalgic.

“The last time I danced was at my wedding, twenty-eight years ago. After we got to the hotel that night my bride, may she rest in peace, told me that if I ever tried to dance with her again she’s ask me for a divorce”, he laughed. “I’m a hopeless case, Madam Ambassador… or is it Your Excellency?”

“Technically it’s the first one”, she answered, “but I’m not on duty, so… just Susan is fine.”

“I’m glad to see you after so long, Susan”, said Tommy, now in a more serious tone. “So, how’s life in… Sweden? Is that it?”

“Switzerland. It’s an amazing place to live… certainly better than my first post as a secretary of the embassy in Angola. That’s one I’ll never forget”, she said, closing her eyes with a sigh. “And what about you, Major? Dreaming of retirement already?”

“Sometimes… but I fear I’ll get bored, at least until my boys start having kids of their own.”

“You can always catch a plane and come visit me. I promise you mountains of Swiss chocolate and cheese. And sightseeing on the Alps, of course. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a great plan.”

After a few more moments, Tommy realized the music had stopped. He looked at Susan and offered her his arm.

“Well, Madam Ambassador Susan”, he said, using the title on purpose to rile her up. “Let me tempt you to a glass of punch. I promise it’s not spiked.”

“Of course it isn’t… I’m not around to do those things anymore”, she answered, laughing, before turning serious again. “You know, when I got the letter for the high school reunion I wasn’t sure if it would be worth it. To save my vacation days and take a super long flight all the way from Bern… but I’m really happy to be here. This place holds so many memories, we had so much fun during those four years… In a way, it’s like a part of me never left.”

Tommy look at her fondly and smiled.

“Yes, it’s exactly like that”, he said, handing her a glass of punch. “A part of us will always stay here.”


	11. “I’ve had enough.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #98. “I’ve had enough.” Pairing: Johnny/Kate. Requested by TheEmpressAR.

“I’ve had enough, Johnny!”

“Just a couple more.”

“You said that five minutes ago.”

“Come on, hit it!”

Encouraged by Johnny’s words, Kate threw her fist in a straight line, hitting the punch dummy right on the nose.

“Better”, he said, standing beside the dummy with his arms crossed. “See? Your knuckles are aligned with the bones in your forearm, so you’re punching harder. Remember to keep your wrist strong. Give me one more when you’re ready, imagine your enemy… and aim for the throat this time.” 

Kate stopped to regain her breath. It was a hot day, the dojo had no air conditioning, and she had been learning the basics of punching for a while. Her t-shirt was already stained with sweat; and she was starting to curse her long hair, despite wearing it in a ponytail.

“Johnny, I don’t have any enemies. And why do I need to learn how to punch someone in the throat? I’m a lawyer, the only violence we use is verbal.”

“What if you get attacked on the street? There are lots of shady guys out there.”

“I thought _you_ were supposed to protect me from those”, she protested, getting in position once more. 

“I can’t be with you day and night… at least for now.”

Kate tried not to think about what Johnny had just said… did that _‘for now’_ thing mean he was planning to be with her day and night at some point in the future? Narrowing her eyes she landed a punch, corrected her stance a little, and threw another one. 

“Good”, said Johnny with a proud smile. “You just broke the shady guy’s hyoid bone.”

“Poor Bob”, she muttered, staring at the dummy. “As if he didn’t have enough punishment Monday to Friday.”

“Bob will be fine.”

She turned to look at Johnny. He was one hundred per cent in Sensei mode, with his arms crossed, barking orders and correcting the faults in her technique (there were many of them, of course). But he clearly was enjoying the lesson a lot.

“Remind me once again why I agreed to this.”

“I’m very persuasive”, he answered, winking at her. “Hey, we can take a break if the heat is too much for you.”

Kate, grateful for the chance to rest a little, sat on one of the benches.

“It’s not the heat what’s uncomfortable, it’s the punching; I’m used to the heat… I did Bikram Yoga for years in San Francisco.”

Johnny sat beside her and frowned. “What’s that?”

“A type of hot yoga that’s practised in a 105-degree room”, she explained.

That made Johnny lift his eyebrows. “Wow. Wait, is that naked yoga?”

“Ew, no!” she laughed. “Being naked in that temperature wouldn’t be a good idea. Don’t start thinking of weird things… okay, what now? Back to Bob?”

“Nah... like you said, he’s had enough punishment”, he said, standing up and grabbing a pair of punching pads. “Now let’s see how well you do when your target is moving.”

Nobody spoke for the next few minutes of training. Soon Kate was panting and sweating again, her t-shirt clinging to her, and Johnny almost got distracted a couple of times. 

“That’s enough for today”, he said after a while. “We’ve been at this for an hour… at least you can land a decent punch now.”

“That’s very high praise coming from you”, said Kate, now almost completely breathless. “So, not bad for a yoga lady?”

“I’ve had yoga ladies at the dojo before”, answered Johnny without thinking, “and you could beat any of them in a fight.”

“Wait, what? When did that happen?”

There were a few moments of silence, until Johnny remembered that his girlfriend didn’t know the history of the dojo’s early days.

“Last year, when I was getting started, Diaz was my only student”, he explained. “To make ends meet I had to sublet the dojo to a group of yoga freaks. They came here with their mats and their sun salutations… but I got more students soon, so it didn’t last long.”

Kate started imagining the situation, and she couldn’t help smiling.

“So… did you stay for a yoga class every now and then? Or just stayed and watched the ladies do their poses?”

“Ah… almost”, Johnny said, a little flustered. “But if you ask me in public, my opinion on yoga is still the same. Useless exercise with stupid poses and shitty music.”

Kate went back to the bench, grabbed her towel and her water bottle, and had an idea.

“So, if I asked you to go home with me and do some naked yoga… you would say no, right?” she asked, with her hands on her hips. “After all, it’s a silly exercise.”

“But… I thought you said naked yoga didn’t exist”, he stammered.

“I said it wasn’t my thing, but of course it exists. It’s called nagna yoga and it has been around for centuries.”

“If it’s not your thing, how will we know we’re doing it right?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll make it up as we go.”

Johnny’s eyes lightened up. He approached Kate with a naughty smile, and put his arms around her.

“Then I can’t wait for the class to start.”


	12. “Don’t lie to me.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 85: “Don’t lie to me.” Daniel and Amanda. Requested by InvisibleObserver13.

“Don’t lie to me. What exactly is this?”

Amanda looked at her husband, who had just stormed into the living room... still in his sleeping clothes, and shaking a piece of paper in front of her face. She sighed, putting aside her cup of coffee and her newspaper.

“First of all, good morning. That looks like my credit card statement… and you shouldn’t be reading it, honey. Ever heard of privacy?”

“You opened it and left it on the kitchen counter”, he insisted. “In plain sight! As if you wanted me to find it.”

Amanda got up from the couch and snatched the paper from Daniel’s hand.

“What outrageous item can be on this list, that you’re practically accusing me of treason? I didn’t even get close to the card limit”, she asked, reading over the list. “Let me see… gym membership, clothes shopping with Sam at Ralph Lauren, a couple of restaurant meals…”

“Aha!” said Daniel in a triumphant tone. “Restaurant! That’s where I wanted to get. See that transaction, two weeks ago? Scratch Bar and Kitchen?”

“Oh, I remember that one! Great food, we have to go there together some time. I had the bison and avocado burger, it was delicious.”

“You said you were having lunch with a friend from yoga class”, he pouted.

“Yes. And that’s exactly what I did”, answered Amanda with a worried frown. “Where are you getting to, babe? Forgive me, but you seem immersed in one of your little paranoid outbursts.”

“That restaurant is right across the street from Powell and Morgan. You had lunch with Kate Williams”, he said in an accusing tone. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

There was a brief silence before Amanda spoke.

“I did tell you. I said I was going to lunch with a friend from yoga class… and that’s the absolute truth. Kate and I do yoga together, remember? At Harmony’s Holistic Health center?”

Realization dawned upon Daniel, and he sat on the couch looking a bit dejected.

“Of course. That hippy woman from the excursion… the mom of the Cobra kid with the glasses”, he muttered, remembering just a minute too late. “Babe, I…”

Amanda raised a hand.

“Daniel, honey… maybe my subconscious didn’t want me to tell you because I know you don’t like that I’m friends with Kate. I bet Johnny isn’t very happy about her being friends with me either… but I promise I’m not doing anything behind your back. At some point you’re going to have to accept that Johnny and you have progressed a bit beyond being just enemies.”

Daniel lowered his head, defeated, mumbling something that sounded like ‘mismatched couple’, and Amanda sat next to him, laughing.

“We were a rather mismatched couple too… Mom practically accused you of cradle-robbing the day she met you, remember?”

“As if it was yesterday. And your father thought I was after your money because, in his own words, I was ‘just a sleazy salesman who has never set foot inside a college classroom’.”

Daniel hid his face in his hands and groaned. His father-in-law was a retired police captain who had never warmed up to him completely. Even after eighteen years of being married to Amanda, he couldn’t help becoming a nervous wreck every time they went to visit his in-laws.

“I’m sorry, Mandy”, he said in a low whisper. “You’re right, I was being silly. I went to bed on an empty stomach last night, that must be why I’m cranky.”

Amanda put her arm across her husband’s shoulders.

“If hunger is the cause of this… and since you were so curious about that restaurant, maybe we should have lunch there today. My treat.”

“What about the kids?”

“Sam is spending the day at Aisha’s. And Anthony is going to the zoo with Kelly Delfino and her kids. So… you have a lunch date, mister. Go get dressed.”

Daniel stared at her, smiling.

“How do you put up with my… What did you call them? Little paranoid outbursts?”

Amanda put her arms around her husband’s neck.

“Practise makes perfect”, she said, as she leaned in for a kiss.


End file.
